China first-quarter pork output at highest for a quarter in five years

In China, both the production of pork and the number of pigs are growing.

China's first-quarter pork production rose 1.9% year-over-year to 15.9 million tons, the highest quarterly level since the fourth quarter of 2017 as actual data showed.

The large output of the world's largest pork producer came as many farmers expected a recovery in demand in the fourth quarter of 2022 and increased hog weights to benefit from expected high prices.

When demand plummeted due to a spike in COVID-19 cases, farmers rushed to unload pigs ahead of the Lunar New Year in late January, usually during peak demand season.

A surge in African swine fever cases earlier this year also forced many farms to cull pigs, further increasing the number of slaughtered animals.

China slaughtered 198.99 million pigs in the quarter, up 1.7% from the same period a year earlier, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

The data showed that the number of pigs also increased by 2% compared to the same period a year earlier and amounted to 430.94 million heads.

SOURCE: emeat